Category: Art and Architecture

In one of the world’s biggest underwater discoveries, Mexican divers have found a flooded cave near Tulum, a beach resort on the Yucatan peninsula. The cave is part of the Sac Actun cave system, which now measures a total length of 347 km.

The discovery was made by members of Gran Acuifero Mayaa, a projectdedicated to the study and preservation of underground water systems in Yucatan. After a few months of exploring divers found an underwater link between two existing caves. After examining the flooded area divers found rocks and stones with ancient markings, grave sites and remains of human bones.

The flooded cave may be connected with the ancient Maya civilisation and could help us understand the Mayan culture. The Yucatan peninsula is full of monuments and ancient Mayan sites.

Mayan cities and temples were built over sinkholes, so-called cenotes. They were natural pits that were formed by the collapse of limestone, revealing subterranean rivers.

Flooded cave – Image: Blueway

Words

ancient = very old

collapse = when something suddenly falls down or apart

connect = to join together

dedicated = to work on something very hard

discovery = to find something new for the first time

diver = person who swims or works under water using special equipment that helps them breathe

examine = to look at something very closely

flooded cave = natural hole in the earth that is full of water

grave site = place where people are buried

length = how long something is

limestone = type of rock that lets water through and has calcium in it

Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Christ was sold for $450 million at an art auction at Christie’s in New York. It was more than double the price of any art object ever sold.

The painting, Salvator Mundi, is one of the raremasterpieces of the Renaissance painter. Created at around 1500 it is one of 20 da Vinci paintings still in private possession.

Salvator Mundi was once owned by King Charles I of England in the middle of the 17th century. The painting was believed to have been destroyed until it resurfaced in 1900. In England, it was sold for a mere $125 because art experts at the time thought it was a worthless copy, either done by one of da Vinci’s followers or students. Even today, the painting’s authenticity is still in doubt.

After being restored several times, a Russian billionaire bought the painting in 2013. The new owner intends to remain anonymous.

The oil painting shows the upper body of Jesus Christ as the world’s saviour. In one hand he holds a glass sphere in, while the other hand is raised in blessing.

Currently, there is only one da Vinci in the United States. Ginevra de’ Benci can be observedin public at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Da Vinci’s masterpiece “Salvator Mundi”

Words

anonymous = not known by name

auction = a public meeting where paintings and other things are sold to the person who offers the most money

authenticity = the quality of being real or true

billionaire = person who has one thousand million dollars, euros etc..

in blessing = with the help or protection from God

century = a hundred years

Christie’s = famous auction house in New York

currently = now, at the moment

destroy = to damage completely so that you no longer can use it

in doubt = here: it may not be real

in public = where everyone can see it

intend = want to be

masterpiece = a work of art that is of very high quality or the best of a famous artist

mere = only

observe = see something

own = possess; if something belongs to you

possession = something that belongs to you

raise = hold up

rare = not found very often

Renaissance = period of time in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, when art, literature and scientific ideas became very important

Sidewalk Labs, a Google company, has announced plans to build a futuristic city in Toronto, Canada. The new urban area, called Sidewalk Toronto, aims at turning the waterfront of Lake Ontario into a playground for city developmentand a testing site for new technologies.

The project wants to make cities cheaper, healthier and even more exciting to live in . The new city will offer its residents ultra-fast WiFi connections, lanes for self-driving cars and sustainableenergy sources. Thousands of sensors will report pollution and noise levels, as well as monitor traffic and levels of carbon monoxide.

Planners of Sidewalk Toronto want to find new solutions for overpopulation, waste management , traffic , pollution and other urban problems. Several companies have said that they will make their services available to the new city.

Planners estimate that the project will cost around 1 billion dollars. However, it will also offer tens of thousands of people a place to live, work and have fun. Eventually, similar projects may spread to other parts of the world, helping to build smarter and greener cities.

Google has also announced that it plans to move its Canadian headquarters to Sidewalk Toronto.

Skyline of Toronto from Lake Ontario – Image: George Socka

Words

aim = wants to , plans to

announce = to officially say something in public

available = here: something that people can use

carbon monoxide = poisonous gas that produces carbon when it is burned

development = to become bigger, more modern and advanced

estimate = think about how much something will cost

eventually = as time goes on, slowly

futuristic = something that looks unusual and very modern

headquarters = the main building or offices used by a large company

however = but

lane = one of two or many areas on the road that keeps cars apart

monitor = watch, observe

overpopulation = too many people live on a small area of land

resident = here: a person who lives in a city

services = work or help that a company gives you

similar = almost the same

solution = way of dealing with a problem

spread = move to another place

sustainable = something that can be used without causing danger to the environment or nature

urban = about a city

waste management = way of getting rid of unwanted materials and dirty water

waterfront = part of a city or town that is next to the sea or lake

WiFi connection = connecting computers and other machines to the Internet by using radio signals